DENVER – If the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to survive three rounds this October, they’ll at least have this in their favor: They will have the benefit of home-field advantage throughout.
A 6-3 Philadelphia Phillies loss Saturday clinched the top seed in the National League for the Dodgers, and with it the best record in baseball this season. It will mark the fourth time in Dave Roberts’ nine seasons managing the Dodgers that his club will finish with the best record in the sport, including the third time in the past five years.
Locking in the top seed at least provides a smidgen of clarity on who the Dodgers will host next Saturday: They’ll face the winner of the NL Wild Card Series between the No. 4-seeded San Diego Padres and the eventual No. 5 seed (one of the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets or Arizona Diamondbacks).
Philadelphia, by nature of being the No. 2 seed, will face either Milwaukee — who won the NL Central and is locked into the No. 3 seed — or the No. 6 seed.
The Dodgers have clinched the No. 1 seed in the National League.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) September 28, 2024
Given the state of the Dodgers’ pitching, and the lingering issues that have trickled into their lineup with a sprained ankle for first baseman Freddie Freeman and a strained adductor muscle for shortstop Miguel Rojas, the bye will be welcomed. Both are now expected to be able to be in the lineup for the start of the NLDS.
In clinching a bye, they’ve also assured that Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be available to pitch in the Dodgers’ first series. With Yamamoto pitching Saturday and requiring extra rest, he wouldn’t have been able to turn around for a prospective Wild Card Series. Now, Yamamoto is lined up to pitch Game 2 of the NLDS following Jack Flaherty.
The Dodgers now have claimed a bye in all three years under baseball’s revised postseason format.
“I think for us, the most important thing is to take care of our relievers, get them ready for the division series, get them out of here healthy,” Roberts said Friday of the possibility of gunning for the top seed this weekend against the Colorado Rockies. “Position players, as you see, I rested a couple guys. I’ll do that tomorrow as well. Still, we’re always playing to win. So I don’t really think that we really care if it’s one or two.”
(Photo of Shohei Ohtani: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
